


The one where Emma goes all Carrie Underwood...

by SwanQueenFan1972



Series: The Country Music Series [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 11:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14519658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanQueenFan1972/pseuds/SwanQueenFan1972
Summary: This is the first story in a series of stand alone stories I am working on.  Sometimes a country song makes me wonder 'what if this song were about SwanQueen. In this one alcohol and jealousy mix together, causing Emma to do something a little out of character...





	The one where Emma goes all Carrie Underwood...

**Author's Note:**

> I am a huge country music fan and, often, when I hear a song I like I can relate it to SwanQueen (obsessed, I know!) I have started this series of stand alone stories, and this is the first instalment.  
> The lyrics to the song are here in the beginning of the story, credited to the writers and artist, and I highly suggest listening to it on Youtube, because it is a great song.  
> Please, let me know what you think, and if there are any country songs that make you think about our girls tell me what they are. If they inspire me, they might become a future story!!

Before He Cheats - Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Sear - As performed by Carrie Underwood

Right now, he’s probably slow dancing  
With a bleached-blond tramp  
And she's probably getting frisky  
Right now, he's probably buying  
Her some fruity little drink  
'Cause she can't shoot whiskey  
Right now, he's probably up behind her  
With a pool-stick  
Showing her how to shoot a combo  
And he don't know  
I dug my key into the side  
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive  
Carved my name into his leather seats  
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights  
I slashed a hole in all four tires  
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats  
Right now, she's probably up singing some  
White-trash version of Shania karaoke  
Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk"  
And he's a-thinking that he's gonna get lucky  
Right now, he's probably  
Dabbing on three dollars  
Worth of that bathroom Polo  
Oh, and he don't know  
That I dug my key into the side  
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive  
Carved my name into his leather seats  
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights  
I slashed a hole in all four tires  
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats  
I might have saved a little trouble for the next girl  
'Cause the next time that he cheats  
Oh, you know it won't be on me!  
No, not on me  
'Cause I dug my key into the side  
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive  
Carved my name into his leather seats  
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights  
I slashed a hole in all four tires  
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats  
Oh, maybe next time he'll think before he cheats  
Oh, before he cheats

 

SwanQueen version - Written by me :-)

 

Emma plunked the glass down on the bar and signalled the bartender for another.

“Whoa, slow down there, my friend,” Ruby was still working on her third beer, while Emma was easily working on her fifth, not to mention the two shots she’d started out with when they’d arrived at the Rabbit Hole. What had started out as a fun girls night out had quickly gone south when Emma had seen Regina seated across the room with some guy they’d never seen before.

“I’m fine,” Emma slurred slightly. “I know when I’ve had enough.” The bartender put a fresh beer down and Emma promptly snagged it and swallowed almost half. She turned on the stool and glared over at the table where Regina and her date were still seated. Regina smiled and said something to him, causing him to laugh. “What the Hell does she see in that guy? He looks like an accountant.”

He did. He was fair looking, but dressed like he was at work rather than on a date. His hair was combed in a way that made him look even nerdier. He looked like a character from Big Bang Theory, Emma decided. Was probably boring as hell too, she decided with a nasty sneer in his direction. 

Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s a nice guy. Emma, you can’t get mad at her. She doesn’t even know.” Ruby kept her eye on Emma, worried that she was going to lose her shit. 

Emma huffed. “That doesn’t mean she has to throw herself at some boring old pencil pusher the first chance she gets. I thought she had better taste.” Another big gulp of beer brought the level down to a third. 

“If she had better taste we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Ruby sighed. “Emma, why don’t you just tell her. Maybe she feels the same way.”

Emma snorted. “Yeah, okay. Look at her... she’s gorgeous and smart and sexy and the mayor. I’m...” she indicated herself, “... well... me.”

“You’re all those things too ,Em. Well, except the mayor part. She’d be lucky to have you.”

“Yeah, I’m a real catch.” She watched as Regina laughed and touched the back of the guys hand where it lay on the table. Emma felt bile rise in the back of her throat and it had nothing to do with the copious amount of beer in her belly. “Let’s get out of here, Rubes. I’m over this place.” She drained the last few swallows from her glass, dropped some bills on the counter and headed for the door. Ruby hurried after her, glad they were leaving before Emma did something stupid, and moments later they were in the parking lot.

“You aren’t driving, Emma!” She called out as she saw Emma heading for her bug. 

“Course not.” Emma was drunk but not drunk enough to be that stupid. “ I’m gonna crash with you, but I need my bag.” She always had a ‘go bag’ in the bug for emergencies, and now she unlocked the yellow car and reached in for it. Her eye landed on something else though... her softball equipment. 

She looked back at the Rabbit Hole, picturing Regina inside with her creep and then her eyes roamed to the left, where Regina’s Mercedes was parked a couple spaces up from the entrance. Anger mixed with pain bubbled up inside her, and it was fuelled by all the alcohol coursing through her system. She reached into the backseat, her hand closing around the bat and pulling it out into the open.

“Emma!” Ruby saw the bat and started to freak out. “Emma, what the fuck are you doing?” She envisioned Regina’s date with a very nasty lump on the side of his head. “Emma, you cannot beat him with a bat. It’s not his fault. They are on a date.”

“Not going to hit the bastard. I’m gonna teach her a lesson.” She moved toward the Mercedes, the bat slung casually over her shoulder.

“ Holy Shit! Emma, stop... don’t...” Her words were lost in the sound of breaking glass as the bat connected with the Mercedes left headlight, the quiet of the empty street allowing for the clink of the glass shards hitting the asphalt to be heard directly after.

Ruby ran across the road and tried to get the bat away from Emma, who was now swinging it repeatedly into the side of the pristine black car. Emma pulled away from her and Ruby backed off, afraid to be accidentally hit.

“You know she isn’t really cheating on you, Emma! She doesn’t even know...” 

“Doesn’t... matter...” The words were punctuated by a slam into a taillight, followed by the shattering of the rear window. “Give me your knife.” Emma was eyeing the tires with interest. 

“I don’t...”

“I know you have one. It’s either in your boot or in your cleavage,” her eyes glanced at the heels Ruby wore and moved up to her bosom. “Hand it over.”

“No, Emma, you have to stop this!”

“Fuck!” Emma screamed at the sky and took a couple more swings at the car.

“What the Hell is going on out here?” Regina’s voice was icy and furious as she took in the sight of the saviour standing there holding a bat and her poor car practically demolished. “Emma, what the Hell are you doing?”

Emma froze, then swung around to face Regina, and suddenly all the fight in her drained away and she began to sob, dropping the bat and sliding to the ground where she leaned against Regina’s car in a pool of broken glass. 

Regina was stunned. She had no idea what was happening, but she’d never seen Emma this way before. Ruby grabbed her by the arm and towed her several yards away from the car. “Ruby, what is going on?” She looked back at Emma, confusion and concern playing on her face. “What happened to her?”

Ruby didn’t answer, but pulled out her phone and queued up a song before handing the phone to Regina. 

“What?” Regina frowned and took the device as the song began to play. Regina recognized the singer and the song. “Why...”

“Listen to it. Really listen to it.” Ruby insisted and Regina complied. 

As the lyrics began to sink in Regina felt terrible and she exhaled slowly. “Oh...” She looked over at Emma, who still sat sobbing on the ground, then at her date who stood awkwardly nearby. “I didn’t know she even knew him. I’d never have gone out with him if I’d known she liked him.”

Ruby just stared at Regina, with a blatant ‘Seriously?’ look on her face. “I never would’ve thought someone so intelligent could also be so fucking stupid, yet, here we are!” Ruby spun away from Regina and swore again, running her hand through her hair. 

Regina raised her eyebrow and waited for Ruby to elaborate, hopefully with something that actually made sense.

“It’s not HIM she’s crazy about, Regina!” Ruby announced loudly and waited for what felt like an eternity for the light bulb to go off in Regina’s head.

“Then what... ooohhhh...” Suddenly she got it, and a look of amazement crossed her face, followed by disbelief. “No, she isn’t… she couldn’t… really?” The last word took a tone of hope.

Ruby exhaled slowly. “Yes, really.”

Regina glanced at Emma and her heart clenched at the sight of the blondes obvious pain. “I... I didn’t know...”

“She didn’t want you to know. She doesn’t think she’s good enough.” Ruby replied. “She’s just as stupid as you are,” she added in disgust.

Regina felt a stab of pain as she allowed what she’d been feeling for a while to surface. “I’m the one who’s not good enough...” she whispered. 

Ruby shook her head, frustrated. “You two deserve each other. You’re both fools. Look, Regina, you need to talk to her.”

Regina took a deep breath. “Yes, I do. You go on home. I’ve got this.” She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to do, but she knew the time had come to do something. 

“Are you sure?” Ruby eyed the mayor dubiously, not certain that Emma wasn’t about to be fireballed for destroying the Mercedes. 

Regina heard the wariness in the younger womans voice. “Yes. Ruby...” she waited until the woman looked up at her, “you can’t honestly believe that I could ever harm her?”

Ruby looked directly at Regina, seeing nothing but honesty in her features. “No, I guess I don’t. I know you’ll take care of her.”

“Thank you,” Regina said softly. Ruby nodded and began walking slowly up the street toward Granny’s. 

Regina moved to her date, who was still frozen in the same spot, looking uncomfortable. “Josh, I’m sorry. I had a lovely time, but I don’t think this is going to work out.”

Josh looked as though he’d been unwillingly thrust into the middle of a movie scene to which he’d never learned the lines. “No problem, Regina. I’ll see you around.” He was thrilled at being dismissed and wasted no time heading down the block to his car. 

Regina turned her attention to Emma, approaching her slowly, a quick flick of her wrist clearing the broken glass that was scattered around the blonde. “Emma...” Emma just sobbed louder, and Regina squatted down beside her and repeated her name.

This time Emma looked up, her eyes rimmed with red, tear stains on her face, and she blubbered, “I’m sorry, Regina...” She couldn’t seem to find any more words, the alcohol she’d consumed so quickly was now at its full potency in her body. She was drunk. Potentially more drunk than she’d ever been. “I...I...” Emma passed out, head lolling to the side and Regina caught her before she fell over completely. A flick of her wrist and the only thing remaining beside her busted car was residual purple mist.

****

Regina stood looking down at Emma, laid out on the guest room bed, where she’d poofed her. She sat on the bed near Emma’s feet and gently removed her boots, eyeing the skin tight jeans and ever present red leather jacket. Not comfortable to sleep in, but she was not about to remove Emma’s clothing the traditional way. Another quick flick of her wrist transformed Emma’s outfit into sleep pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, and the blonde was now under the covers. 

Regina went to her room, changing into her satiny pajamas and brushing her teeth before going back to the guest room. She was worried about leaving the unconscious woman alone in case she was sick. She’d heard of people choking.

She took a deep breath and climbed under the covers on the other side of the bed, sitting up and watching the woman beside her. How had they gotten to this place? From enemies they’d gradually morphed into allies, then friends, and, finally, best friends. How did that turn into Emma assaulting her Mercedes with a baseball bat? She’d understood the connection to the song Ruby had played for her, but how could she have been so blind?

For months now she’d been fighting her own feelings for the Sheriff, having no idea that Emma had been even the slightest bit interested in taking their relationship from friendship to the next level. Regina had been randomly dating people in hopes of those feelings for Emma fading, but it hadn’t happened. Quite the opposite, really. She was in love with the saviour, no question about it now. The pain she’d felt tonight seeing Emma hurting so badly had made it clear in Regina’s mind. This person lying beside her in bed, this beautiful, stubborn, messy woman, that drove her insane much of the time, was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She hoped Ruby was right, that Emma had feelings for her. Well, that part was pretty evident actually, from Emma’s actions tonight, but how strong were those feelings? 

Regina slid down in bed, facing Emma, and reached out her trembling hand to brush a blonde curl from her cheek, before allowing her hand to rest there, her thumb softly caressing the edge of Emma’s lips. What if it were only physical for Emma? What if all she wanted was a sexual relationship? 

Now that Regina had allowed herself to examine her full feelings for Emma she wasn’t sure how she would handle it if Emma didn’t want the same things. A tear slowly trickled down Regina’s cheek at the possibility. She knew she didn’t deserve it, but she wanted her happy ending, and she knew it was lying right here beside her. The real question was, did villains ever get their happy ending? Never in her life had Regina ever felt so much regret over her actions as she did right now, realizing that karma might cost her the only person she’d ever felt this way about.

It was a long while before Regina fell asleep. After a couple of hours she decided Emma was not likely to be sick, but still, Regina couldn’t seem to shut her brain off. Finally, as the first whispers of light crept into the early morning, she slept.

 

****

Emma awoke, head pounding. Past experience told her that opening her eyes would probably be a mistake. She wasn’t sure where she was, but she knew she wasn’t in her own bed. Ruby. She’d gone home with Ruby... hadn’t she? Did that mean the warm body next to her was Ruby?

No. It didn’t feel right, and even with her headache and hangover she knew that she wasn’t smelling Ruby’s perfume. ‘Fuck’. That citrusy, musky scent was Regina’s. How in hell did she end up in Regina’s bed? She fought her way through the cobwebs in her brain, but the path was murky, and it ended with her pulling a baseball bat from her back seat. ‘What the fuck did you do, Emma,’ her inner voice screamed so loud that her headache bumped up a notch. She had to open her eyes, no matter how painful it was. She started with one eye, opening it slowly to allow herself to adjust to the light. Finally, she had both eyes open.

There was no doubt that she was in Regina’s house. The guest room, to be exact. Emma had stayed there before, on occasion and slept in this very bed, but always alone. Today, there was undoubtedly a warm body snuggled up to her back, and the possibilities of who that might be were limited to two, and she doubted that Henry would be cuddled up to her, plus it was even more unlikely that he’d be wearing Regina’s perfume. Now that her vision was clear she carefully rolled over to face her companion. Her head throbbed in response to the movement and her eyes closed involuntary as a result. As the pain ebbed she struggled to open them again and observe the brunette beside her. Regina was on her side, very close to Emma, and, even in sleep she looked worried. There were streaks on her cheek that appeared to be from dried tears. ‘Did I make her cry?’ she wondered, feeling sick at the thought. Emma stared at the brunette, trying to memorize every inch of her face, in case she never got the chance to see her like this again. Regina was truly the most beautiful woman she’d ever met, and sleeping, she looked almost ethereal. Her long dark lashes rested against her cheeks and her lips were parted ever so slightly, making them look even more kissable than usual. As she watched, Regina slowly came awake and chocolate eyes met green, locking together. 

“Emma,” Regina breathed, in that unique way that she said Emma’s name, almost turning it into two words. “How are you feeling?” The question was soft, full of concern.

“I’m pretty sure that I was run over by a truck and small creatures are nesting in my mouth, but other than that...” she tried to make a joke, then added. “I think I’m gonna live.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Regina allowed, her voice huskier with sleep.

“Regina... what happened last night? How did I get here? I don’t remember anything after Ruby and I left the club.”

“Before or after you beat my car with a bat? I’m a bit fuzzy on the events leading up to that, but afterwards it all ended rather quickly when you passed out.” Regina was playing it cool. She was not about to throw herself out there, just to be rejected.

“Ohhh... man.” Emma flinched, “Is it bad? Can it be fixed?”

“Of course it can be fixed, Emma. Between us we have enough magic to fix a hundred cars. I’m more interested in why it got smashed up in the first place.” Regina’s eyes bore into Emma’s and the blonde averted hers, staring past Regina at the picture hanging on the wall near the bed.

Emma shrugged a little. “I don’t remember.” 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true.” Regina responded. The words were accusatory, yet they were delivered gently, meant to encourage Emma.

It wasn’t true and the Sheriff sighed. Emma might not remember actually wielding the bat, but she was very clear on the why. She could almost hear the damn song in her head. “I was mad.” She said, finally.

“At my car?” Regina asked, eyebrow arching. 

Emma’s eyes came back to meet Regina’s gaze, which had never wavered from the blondes face. “Course not. I was mad at you, Regina. I was mad because you were on a date with that... that guy.” Emma broke eye contact, her eyes skittering away as her nerves bubbled up full force. She wondered if she was going to have to make a run for the bathroom, the way her stomach was suddenly churning.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that you wanted him for yourself. You’ll be happy to know that I told him I didn’t want to see him again.”

Emma wrinkled her nose, her nerves forgotten momentarily, and looked at Regina. “Eeeww. No.” She narrowed her eyes as the brunette smirked, just the slightest. “You’re messing with me? Seriously?”

“Perhaps,” Regina replied. “Emma, why didn’t you talk to me before this reached the point where you needed to go all ‘Carrie Underwood’ on my poor car?” Her voice was soft and low, still with traces of sleep. “Emma, we’re best friends. You can talk to me about anything.”

Emma closed her eyes, realizing that Regina did actually know. Ruby probably had a hand in that. “ That’s exactly why I couldn’t talk to you. I didn’t want to risk losing the most important friendship I’ve ever had, but I went and ruined it anyway, so....”

Regina reached out, tucking another stray curl behind Emma’s ear and cupping her cheek. “Sweetheart, you haven’t ruined anything.” Emma warily opened her eyes, looking into Regina’s, uncertain exactly what she was seeing there. “We’re both fools, Emma. Both wanting the same thing, but too afraid to do anything about it.”

Emma whispered, “What were you afraid of?”

Regina frowned. “Rejection, I suppose. I still struggle with the fact that you could even be friends with someone who’s done the terrible things I have. The thought that you could actually love me... it’s almost inconceivable.” Her eyes left Emma for the first time since she’d awakened and a tear escaped, running slowly across her cheekbone to the pillow.

Emma reached out, catching the second tear with her thumb. “Inconceivable or not, it’s true.” She took a deep breath and let the words emerge for the first time. “I love you, Regina.”

Regina’s eyes lifted, meeting Emma’s again, and she smiled. “I love you, Emma. I have for quite some time.”

Both women leaned closer, bridging the foot gap between them, their lips meeting in the briefest of gentle kisses. The surge of feelings was overwhelming and they pulled back, only inches away this time, a combination of wonderment and fear etched on both their faces. “That was...” Emma’s brain felt useless and her voice trailed off.

Regina’s brain was racing a mile a minute and a hundred words sprang immediately to mind to describe that kiss, but only one slipped through her lips on a slow breath, “Perfect.”

Emma let out a breath she’d not been aware she was holding and a smile spread across her face. “Yeah.”

“I’m not certain that perfection can be improved upon, but I think I’d like to find out...” Regina’s words were hesitant as she still struggled internally with her ever present feelings of inadequacy.

Emma’s heard Regina’s demons very clearly in her voice, having heard them spoken about many times over the course of their friendship and it made Emma’s heart ache. This amazing woman truly had no idea just how incredible she was or just how much she meant to Emma. She desperately wanted to kiss Regina again, but she needed to try and soothe the mayors soul a little first. She didn’t want Regina to ever wonder about her motives or the true depths of her feelings. 

She reached up, sliding her hand over Regina’s face and into her hair, where it threaded into the dark tresses, her fingers caressing and gentle. “Regina, we’ve both done things in the past that we aren’t proud of and I know that your past eats away at you every single day. I know you have so many regrets, and that you would do things differently if you could, but you can’t change the past.”

Regina’s eyes filled with fear and sadness. “It’s alright, Emma... I understand...”

Emma didn’t let her finish. “No, Regina, you clearly don’t understand. If you did, you wouldn’t have these doubts. I’m not some innocent child blindly following her heart, Regina. I’m fully aware of exactly what you’ve done and exactly who you were. In fact, there might not be anyone else who knows as much as I do. Maybe that’s the reason why I am able to love you, Regina. Maybe I’m the only person who can really see just how different you are. All I know is that when I look at you I don’t see a Queen or a villain or even a mayor. All I see is Regina.” Emma looked so deep into Regina’s eyes she swore she could see the woman’s soul. “And I love Regina... so I guess that works in your favour.”

Regina wiped her eyes, pointlessly, as more tears leaked out almost immediately, even though she smiled. “Emma Swan, you are crazy.”

“One of the things you love about me,” Emma replied with a smile of her own. 

“One of the many things I love about you, Emma. I love your passion and your bravery and your kindness, and I love that you can make me laugh. I love that you know me... that I never have to pretend with you.”

“You know what, Regina? All those things are also things that I love about you. I want to spend the rest of my life reminding you just how amazing you are.” Emma pulled Regina close, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman, who nestled closer.

“I am the luckiest woman in the world... in any realm.”

“We are the luckiest women in any realm,” Emma corrected her. “And if anyone says different , we’ll set them straight.”

Regina raised her head and her mouth twitched. “Perhaps you could hit them with your bat?”

“Perhaps you could turn them into a bat?” Emma countered. 

Regina smiled and lay her head on Emma’s shoulder and they were silent for a moment. Then, “Seriously, I feel really bad about Trudy.”

Regina wrinkled her brow, “Who is Trudy?”

“Your car. That’s what I decided her name is.”

“First, naming a car is foolish. Second, if the Mercedes were to have a name it certainly wouldn’t be Trudy.”  
Regina wrinkled her nose. “It would need to something more regal... fitting for a Queen... like... Victoria.”

Emma laughed, “Oh, so now you want to be a Queen. Well, your majesty, I promise I will make things right with Victoria. I’m sorry... I know how angry you must be about that.”

Regina tightened her hold on Emma. “For a moment I was. Until I saw how upset you were, Emma. Aside from Henry, there isn’t a thing in the world more important than you. I promise, you will never, ever need to think of that song in relation to me again.”

“I’m sure old Vicky will appreciate that.” Emma grinned, as Regina quirked an eyebrow at the new nickname for the Mercedes. 

“Promise me something,” Regina asked, trying to hold back her own grin.

“Anything.”

“Don’t ever change.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be your Charming fool forever.” Emma said, pressing her forehead to Regina’s.

“Forever. That might just be long enough.” 

Their lips met in another kiss, this one full of certainty and the promise of a happy ending.


End file.
